I am a Tombstone Tourist: someone who loves to wander cemeteries. I find it akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting. This blog is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy - subjects of current relevance. I usually find something that intrigues me and makes me want to dig deeper. Care to join me? Read on...

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Highland
Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana began in 1884. The City of Terre Haute purchased 139 acres of “hills and
hollows” from Ray and Grace Jenkins for $15,000. In the true Rural Cemetery style it was designed into
well-grouped trees and shrubs, with the artistic placement of lakes, valleys
and meandering paths by Joseph Earnshaw.
His goal was to draw attention to the cemetery landscaping instead of
the large monuments and mausoleums.
Highland Lawn is the second largest cemetery in Indiana, with Crown Hill
in Indianapolis being the largest.

The Chapel

The Chapel in 1914

The
cemetery’s chapel, built in 1893, is of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It
was designed by architect Jesse A. Vrydaugh and cost 10-thousand dollars to
complete. It is located on the
highest hill in the cemetery. The
Chapel features gabled roofs, a domed brick basement and stained glass throughout. It was renovated in 1988 at the cost of
$65,000.

Highland Lawn Cemetery

The entrance in 1897

The entrance to the cemetery features a Romanesque Revival Bell Tower. It was constructed of Bedford, Indiana
limestone in 1894 by the Heidenreich Company. The adjoining arch was designed by Paul Leizt of Chicago and
constructed by Edward Hazledine. The attached Rest House was built in 1909 as a
waiting station for the interurban.
Built by W.H. Floyd in the Colonial style, it is now the cemetery’s
offices.

Section 2 where
Samantha McPherson was buried

The
first person buried here was Samantha McPherson who died of typhoid and was
buried on October 29, 1884. She
was 30 years old. Highland
Lawn now has almost 27,000 graves.

Stein Mausoleum

Cummings Mausoleum

Crawford Mausoleum

Highland
Lawn has numerous mausoleums located throughout the cemetery. Each is
individually owned. Some hold only
two bodies, others hold up to sixteen.
The mausoleums were built mainly from granite and marble. Other markers
and stones depict interesting funerary art and sculpture, another way to
promote social standing. In this
cemetery, the larger the monument, the more prosperous and well–known the
family.

Blumberg Mausoleum

Davis Mausoleum

Among those mausoleums in the cemetery, two have well-known legends concerning them.

John Heinl

The
best know story involves Terre Haute businessman John Hienl and his dog, Stiffy
Green from the early part of the 20th century. Heinl, pipe in hand, and Stiffy Green,
so named because of his stiff walking gate and startling greenish colored eyes,
would stroll through town, visiting with the folks they met. Stiffy Green was friendly but
ferociously protective of Mr. Heinl and did not allow anyone to get too close
to his beloved master.

Heinl Mausloum

When
John Heinl passed away on December 31st, 1920, Stiffy was
inconsolable. He sat be the coffin
at the funeral and followed the family to the graveyard where he took up post
at the mausoleum doors. There he
remained, guarding his master in death as he had guarded him in life. Family and friends made many trips to
the cemetery that winter to retrieve Stiffy and take him home, only for him to
return to his master’s crypt doors.

Stiffy Green

Stiffy mourned
himself to death. Heinl’s wife paid tribute to his unwavering love and devotion
and had him stuffed in the sitting position he had assumed for so long on those
cold mausoleum steps. Stiffy was then placed inside the tomb,
reunited at last with his master.

An evening walk

But
it wasn’t long before visitors began noticing that Stiffy had mysteriously moved
from one side of the tomb to the other, and back. Rumors spread that early in the morning or at twilight you
could see an elderly man and his small dog walking near the Heinl crypt, the
smell the rich pipe smoke in the air and a low voice talking to his devoted
companion who would answer with a happy bark.

Vigo County HIstorical Society

But
all good things must come to an end – even in death. Vandals would not leave the site alone, damaging doors and
windows. In 1985, thugs shot out Stiffy’s right glass eye. The family decided it was time for
Stiffy be moved and the Vigo County Historical Society Museum agreed to take
him. There, the Terre Haute Lions
Club built a replica of the Heinl mausoleum. Today, Stiffy Green is still on
guard – unless he and John are taking an evening stroll in Highland Lawn
Cemetery.

Sheets Family Mausoleum

1920's Style Phone

The
second well-known story involves the Sheets family mausoleum, where Martin
Sheets, his wife Susan, and baby Ethel are interred. Born
in 1853, Martin lived into his early 70’s, passing in 1926. He saw many technological changes come
about during that time. One
new-fangled invention he found an odd use for was the telephone. Martin had one installed in the family
mausoleum, just in case he was buried unconscious, but alive, and needed to
summon help. It was stipulated in his will that a phone line be run from his
crypt to the cemetery office. He
set up an account with Indiana Bell Telephone that kept the line paid for and
active, just in case.

Indiana Bell

The
story could end here as a very odd but interesting bit of cemetery lore, but it
doesn’t. When Sheets’ wife, Susan
died years later, she was found in the kitchen with the phone in her hand. Many assumed she had been attempting to
summon help. But according to
legend, when the mausoleum was unlocked to place Susan’s casket next to her
husband, cemetery workers discovered the phone in the crypt was off the hook!

Off the hook

Eighty
years after Martin Sheets was placed in the family mausoleum, the phone line
was disconnected from the cemetery office, never known to have been physically
used.

Debs Political Poster

Eugene Debs

Highland
Lawn is also known as the burial place for many famous people, including
politicians Eugene Debs, Socialist Presidential candidate who ran for the
office five times in the early part of the 20th Century.

Theodore Hudnut's Grave

Funeral Cortege for Voorhees

Also buried here are Daniel Voorhees, a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the mid-1800’s, and inventor Theodore Hudnut, who developed a way to remove oil from grain, producing Mazoil cooking oil.

Elk's Rest

Highland
Lawn Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979
for its significance in landscaping, one of only two Indiana cemeteries so
designated.

Angel at cross

A waiting friend

The
cemetery is located at 4420 Wabash Avenue, just east of the city. It no longer has its own web page. The Cemetery Superintendent is Lennie
Snyder. For assistance with any genealogy questions, contact Roxe Ann Kesner,
Cemetery Clerk or her assistant, Helen Kester at (812) 877-2531. A true Facebook page does not exist.

View of cemetery from southern hill

Bench marker in the snow

Highland
Lawn is a cemetery where you can spend a day admiring mausoleums, exquisite artwork
and sculptures. Even in winter, it’s
beauty and tranquility shine through!

About Me

I
love wine and will take any chance to sip, savor and share it! Hence, Joy’s JOY
of Wine http://joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com,
a weekly blog about all things wine. I've been in the industry for 15
years as a winery owner, marketing director, speaker, writer, wine judge, and
100% vino girl!

I'm
also a professional freelance magazine and book writer uncorking articles about
wine, food, history, travel, cemetery history and culture. My interest in
cemetery culture led to another great, or maybe I should say
"grave" gig, my weekly blog: A Grave Interest http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com where I get to travel around the country and speak about cemetery topics for genealogy, history and
education conferences.

I suppose you could say that wine is my
passion, and cemeteries are my diversion ... into another world.

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